Clutch construction



Feb. 4, 1930. H. D. CHURCH CLUTCH CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Oct. 14, 192

Patented Feb. 4,2193% 1 am Eye mes TENT] HARoLn D; CHURCH, or CLEVELAND, onio, AssIGNo TO- GENERAL OT Rs ooRro- RATION, or DETRQIT, MIonIc-AN, A ooRroRArroN or DELAWARE I CL'U'lCH CONSTRUCTION Original application filed October 14, 1925, Serial No. 62,443. Divided and thisappl ication filed February 2s, 7 A 1.1927."se ialiio.171,199. r or v This invention relates to a clutch assembly,

particularly intendedfor: use 1n motor vehicles and'is a divislonof myco-pending'ae plication for patent SerialyNo. 62,513, filed October 1%, 1925. v 1

' The invention relates to that form ofclutch "assembly, wherein use is made of a plurality of levers within the assembly, actuated a sliding collar on the driven shaft to wlthdrawga spring actuated pressure ring from engagement"with clutch discs. .It' is an ob ject of this inventionto improve the structure involved in a connection between the ure 1.-

levers and the pressure ring.

- Other objects and advantages will be apparent fromthe following specification and the accompanying drawing of a preferred embodiment of the invention in whic'h:

. Figurel is a viewin side elevation,'partly in section of the assembly;

"Figure 2 is'a rear elevation on line 22 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig- Referring to the, drawing, the reference numeral 5'represents the rear end" of the fcrank shaft of the internal combustion enrespectively.

gine. This shaft is secured by bolts? to fly wheel 9;. Axially aligned with crank shaft,

5 is driven shaft 11, enteringthe transmis- 'sion housing 13. The clutch assembly with which this invention is concerned has'for its purpose to provide a releasable connection between the crankshaft and the driven shaft.

'Slidably splined to the driven shaft is a member 14, carrying an annular clutch plate .15, preferably of segmental "form. A pressure or thrust ring 17 is located to. the rear 23bear at one end against the cover plate and at their other ends against the pressure plate to normally holdltheclutch elements in driv- "ing relation as will be understood.

' A plurality of radially extending levers 22, are vpivoted to the cover plate as at 24 3 v These "levers are engaged at their inner ends bythe endof a collar 25 which is slidable on 'the driven shaft; This collar may be other-f wise moved, but is preferably actuated an operating lever 27 the end only ofwhichis' f I showno'n Figure 1.. To, this lever issecured a ring 29, and between the ring and the collar is sliowna thrust member 31 of selflubrieating, material such as a: solid block compreferably saturated with lubri- 60 posed of graphlte embedded 1n a sultable the ring. The radially extending levers 22 project into'sthe j'spacesbetween the bosses lof each pair," and bear on plates 3.5, which' bridge theintermediate spaces andaresecured to the. top faces of the bosses ,by bolts 37. The bearing plates 35 are preferably-of steel or other'suitable material, toaflord a wear resistingbearing for the outer endsof the levers 22; Any number of actuating levers mayjbe provided as is founddesirable,

the drawing illustrating the use of four le Vers spaced ninety degrees apart.

, The arrangement with which this specifica tion is particularly concerned, whereby" the bosses and steel plates are made use ;of, has

several distinct advantages. If openings corresponding "to the spaces bridged by the plates, were to be made in parts of the thrust ring, it would be'difiicult to correctly position the several integral bearing surfaces, on which the levers are to act, in corresponding relation with the friction face of the ring, and

the cost of accurately machining the surfaces i i 9 in proper relation would be prohibitive.

' Also in such case, the wearing" surfaces 1 would obviously be restricted to the material of the ring, whereas by the use of the 'apertured bosses and the replaceable plates, steel bearing surfaces are available.

Thuswear is easily corrected bymerely replacing the bearing plates atan exceedingly small cost,

as compared with the necessity ofcompletely dismantling the clutch assembly and substituting and fitting an entirely new; pressure m ring, which at some future time might be hard to obtain. Furthermore, as compared with the difficulty of manufacture involved in the provision of openings, made in an integral structure the present arrangement is quite simple. By the same machining opera tion in which other parts of the pressure plate are being surfaced the faces of the bosses are also finished. That is, the friction face of the ring is dressed or finished, either on a line perpendicular to the aXis of the ring, or on a line inclined thereto, as the case may be, and the faces ofrthe several bosses are then dressed down or finished, preferably on a line parallel with the friction face, or in some other suitable manner, to present attachment surfaces for the bearing plates, which in regard to each other, bear the same definite.

relation with the friction face of the ring. Thus, the proper relation between the friction face and the tops of the several bosses, to insure positive and uniform distribution of effort to axially move the pressuremember and disengage the clutch, is easy to obtain and is not thereafter subject to variation, due to wear. 7

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. In a clutch assemblya driving clutch member, a driven clutch member, a member project into such spaces between the bosses of each pair and bear on said plates todisengage the clutch.

5. In a clutch, the combination of a thrust member, having a number of integral spaced projections on the back thereof, replaceable,

wear-resisting bearing members secured to said projections to bridgethe spaces therebetween, and work performing members extending into said spaces and acting on said bridging members to control the clutch.

6. In a clutch assembly, a thrust ring of cast metal having ase'ries of projections cast integral therewith and arranged in pairs on the rear face thereof, and a'wear-resisting plate replaceably mounted on the rear faces of each pair of integral projections and 'bridg-' ing the spaces therebetween to'aiford a bearing surface for an actuating lever extending between the projections,

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HAROLD D. CHURCH.

movable under pressure to normally bring the clutch into engagement, a releasing means comprising a pair of integral bosses on the movable part and a replaceable bearing plate secured to the bosses and a lever to bear on the plate between the bosses 2. In a clutch assembly, a driving member, a driven member, a member movable under pressure to normally bring the clutch into engagement, releasing means including a' number of spaced bosses on the movable member, replaceable bearing plates carried by the bosses, each plate being fixed in the same definite relation with the movable member in regard to one another, and a plurality of declutching levers adapted to engage said bearing plates. 7

3. In a clutch, the combination of a thrust memberhaving a number of integral bosses, caston the back thereof and arranged in pairs, the top surfaces of the several bosses being spaced equi-distant' from the face of the thrust member, detachable bearing plates, 

